


Self-Preservation Should be An Instinct

by Crazy_panda_25



Category: Whitechapel (TV)
Genre: Angst, Canon-Typical Violence, Chandler doesn't understand, Chandler lacks self-preservation, Episode: s03e05 (Whitechapel), Fear, Friendship, Gen, Gun Violence, Hurt, Kent has feelings, Miles cares, Missing Scene, Murder, s3 e5, season 3 episode 5
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-14
Updated: 2020-06-14
Packaged: 2021-03-04 05:13:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,150
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24708142
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Crazy_panda_25/pseuds/Crazy_panda_25
Summary: Kent’s breath catches in his throat as they grind to a halt behind the police car door, crouching slightly like they’ve been trained to do. His eyes flick around the scene taking in the happenings around him before his eyes fix on Miles and Chandler having a mildly heated dispute not far in front of them.The ending scene of Season 3, Episode 5 from Kent's point of view as he watches Chandler walk towards a suspected murderer with a gun.
Relationships: Joseph Chandler & Emerson Kent, Joseph Chandler & Ray Miles, Joseph Chandler/Emerson Kent, implied
Comments: 5
Kudos: 20





	Self-Preservation Should be An Instinct

**Author's Note:**

> Am i late to this fandom? Yes i am. Am i still going to post this story (and maybe others) despite this? Absolutely.
> 
> Hello fellow Whitechapel fans, I hope you enjoy this story. It is my first in this fandom so I'm a little nervous to post it, but here it is. I obviously don't own any rights to Whitechapel (if i did it would have continued but shh) but the story is all my own.

Kent’s breath catches in his throat as they grind to a halt behind the police car door, crouching slightly like they’ve been trained to do. His eyes flick around the scene taking in the happenings around him before his eyes fix on Miles and Chandler having a mildly heated dispute not far in front of them. 

“If I don’t talk to Mantus, this is nothing more than an execution,” Chandler says, his voice sounding like a whisper but loud enough for them to hear him.

Kent glances back at Riley and Mansell, anxiety making his feet restless. The other two are alternating between watching their suspect and listening to the dispute much like Kent. He shakes his head at nobody in particular, hoping that by some miracle Chandler won’t do what he’s planning to. Kent knows it’s a lost cause but he repeats it in his head all the same. _Don’t do it, sir, don’t do it._

“If they say it’s too dangerous to negotiate, we have to listen,” Miles bites back at Chandler, his voice determined and firm, the same voice he uses to dish out instructions to Kent and the others, “You may be the ranking officer here but these guys have years of experience. This is what they do.”

Kent almost feels relief at the Skipper’s words. If the boss is going to listen to anyone it’ll be Miles. Chandler hesitates for a second, clearly taking in the words. The armed response team move forward then making Chandler look away and back to the suspect that’s oddly not advancing anymore.

“Authority for lethal force has just been issued. They could shoot him at any moment,” Chandler answers back, looking almost desperate to make Miles understand where he’s coming from.

Kent understands, he knows Miles must do too. This isn’t what they are, they solve crimes and bring criminals to justice (or try to anyway). They don’t stand by and watch what can only be compared to a public execution. But it’s too dangerous, too many guns, too much insanity. Mantus could fire at any moment.

“It’s out of our hands,” Miles snaps, stubbornly.

“Wait here”

“What you playing at?”

Kent flinches slightly at the movement, jaw clenching as Chandler moves to push past Miles. He can’t watch this, Chandler isn’t backing down. Stubborn, idiot, Kent thinks, wincing mentally at the disrespectful words even just said in his head. Riley nods at him, she can’t have known what he was thinking but he can tell she agrees with him nonetheless.

“I know how to calm him down. All we need is quiet.”

“Well, look at him! He’s clearly-” Miles is shouting now, looking about a second away from knocking Chandler out himself if only to shake some sense into him, Chandler shushes him, urgently, “-mad! He’s irrational. You can’t reason with insanity.”

“No, he looks distressed to me. In pain. Like he’s looking for help.”

“He’ll shoot you!”

Miles speaks plainly, calmly even but he looks just about as distressed about that fact as Kent feels. Riley shifts next to him, making Kent look back, catching her eyes. The blonde woman looks mortified, her whole body tensed at the words. Mansell’s face is unreadable but Kent is sure even he must feel the same. Kent turns back to the scene.

Chandler stands up straighter, clearly unfazed by the claim and ready to put him plan into action regardless of consequences, “I’ve got this, Miles.”

Miles grabs his arm, pushing the DI back forcefully. His teeth are gritted together, a fact Kent can just about make out before the DS turns more away from them.

“Look I’m telling you-“

It’s almost like he’s begging Chandler but unders the disguise of anger. Something snaps in Chandler, Kent sees it in his face at that moment.

“And I’m telling you,” Chandler all but shouts, rearing up to his full height, anger clear in his voice as he pulls rank and pushes Miles out of his way, “Sergeant! Get out of my way.”

Kent lets himself briefly note that they may be one of the only times he’s seen Chandler lose his rag at anyone. Let alone one of them.

Miles has his back to them, but Kent’s sure he must look as mortified as Kent knows he must. It feels like it’s happening in slow motion as Chandler strolls his way into the clearing, arms spread wide apart. Kent holds his breath, waiting for the gunshot while simultaneously hoping he never hears it.

“Cover him! Cover him,” one of the armed response team commands.

_Yes, yes please cover him_ , Kent begs to himself.

His legs move for him as he leads the way at a slight jog to stand with Miles. Maybe for them to offer him support, maybe for them to just be together for this. Just in case. Riley and Manselll follow suit, keeping low as they run. He feels sick, breath catching as he catches another glimpse of Chandler walking towards the mumbling suspected murderer.

He touches Miles on the shoulder gently, wanting to give at least one of them silent support. Miles turns away though, his face overflowing with silent panic and fear. Kent has never really seen him like that before, but then he’s never seen Miles create such a strong friendship with someone before. Chandler strolled into their disarray a few years ago and polished the edges and made them shine. They are a team, all of them are, but Miles and Chandler are the most bonded.

Chandler is speaking suddenly, his voice soft, barely even loud enough for Kent to hear him, despite not that big of a distance between them, “I want to help you, Calvin.”

The suspect moves slightly, but the gun stays firmly in his hand. Kent’s heart beats faster with each step Chandler takes. Kent wants to shout to him, beg their DI to just _get back_ because it’s not fair. Not on his team. Not on Miles or Riley or Ed or Manselll. Not on him. This man can’t break every mold ever known to man then stride out in front of guns without an issue. As though he’s got nothing to live for anyway. As though nobody would get hurt.

Kent doesn’t hear what he says next, a mixture of the growing distance between them and his thoughts being louder than the commotion preventing this. He thinks he makes out ‘gun’ though so he can guess the gist of what was said.

The gun lifts in the suspects hand, Riley gasps in a short breath, her eyes closing briefly as she waits for the noise of a gunshot. His racing heart stops for a second, wanting to close his own eyes like Riley or just turn away like Miles but he can’t. His gaze is caught on Chandlers back. Watching. Waiting.

“No, don’t, please. They’ll shoot you,” Chandler pleads, louder this time, his voice betraying his thoughts, there’s no fear in his words just determination.

Maybe to bring in a suspect alive or maybe something else. Kent can’t tell. Either way it’s clear their DI isn’t prioritising his own life over the end of this case. He can hear Miles’ labouring breaths behind him, but he doesn’t turn. He can’t turn.

The mumbling sound continues, it sounds wrong to Kent’s ears. More like sobbing or begging then threatening now. But either way he’s got the gun held up in front of him. Kent’s hand clenches and unclenches at his side, nervously.

The next second happens in slow motion.

Bang!

Kent feels bile build up in his throat in that moment, crouching down instinctively with Miles, Mansell and Riley. He can see it on their faces for that brief moment, they all expected it to have been Chandler that was shot. Kent blinks a few times, trying to make sense of the moment as an armed response officer falls to the ground and another fire off another bullet, flooring the suspect immediately.

“Get down, get him!”

Kent looks up again and, as far as miracles go, he’s never felt like he witnessed one quite as much as in that moment because Chandler is still standing, having stood back up from crouching momentarily at the gunshot. He looks back with an expression that can only be described as desperation

“It’s wasn’t him! He didn’t shoot. The shot came from the roof.”

The armed response officers storm forward, guns now pointed at the roof were Chandler is pointing. Kent can feel his heart pounding against his chest, he’s standing up at his full height now, although he doesn’t remember getting up. Riley and Manselll are to his left, looking shaken but okay nonetheless. Miles is behind him, probably looking like he has whiplash, because that’s how Kent feels in that moment. He almost can’t comprehend anything.

The injured or possibly dead officer is dragged away by one of his colleagues, but Kent only spares a quick glance, following Miles obediently as the Sergeant pushes past the officers and starts running towards Chandler. Riley, Mansell and him follow behind slower, perhaps they’re all trying to get their balance back after what happened. Even Kent can’t really say what he’s feeling anymore.

If Miles and Chandler were anyone else, Kent might have expected them to hug but they aren’t so Miles merely catches up to Chandler and looks down at the now unknown man’s prone body.

Kent follows Riley as she crouches down beside the man to check his identity and his pulse, Kent opting to examine the man’s gun hand. He sighs sorrowfully as he realises there’s black wire wrapped tightly around the gun, small beads of blood splattered on the handle and the gun, to Kent’s disdain, doesn’t even seem to be real.

“Sir,” Riley breaths out, softly.

“Oh my god.”

“His mouths been sewn up.”

Kent swallows, not looking up from the gun for a second, opening the gun chamber for assurance of his belief, “It’s not a real gun. It’s just a toy.... It’s wired to his hand.”

Kent doesn’t need to look up properly to know how distraught Chandler must look. A victim has been killed. This time it wasn’t by the murderer.

“He’s just a teenager,” Riley says, sadly, pressing her lips into a film line.

Kent winces sharply.

“It’s not Mantus. We shot a victim,” Chandler says, shakily.

Kent shakes his head, both at the awful situation and at the implication that Chandler failed _again_. He wants to tell the DI that, he wants to show him just how much worth the man has even if everything doesn’t always go to plan.

Kent pushes that down though, knowing it will show his hand too much. He stays crouched on the floor instead, head bowed slightly in what would have been a prayer if Kent were religious in anyway.

“You were that close to being killed,” Miles snaps suddenly, Kent glances up to see the Sergent’s face, he looks so angry that Kent almost flinches on habit.

Chandler doesn’t, however, looking more confused than anything else, watching the Skipper walk away like he’s just told him the sky is orange.

“What’s wrong with him today?” Chandler says, shaking his head slowly, likely to himself more than to them.

Mansell shifts on his feet, looking lost for words as he looks at Chandler. Kent can understand that feeling too well. Mansell isn’t really the type to be all that respectful to anyone (unless he has to be), but there’s a respect in his eyes right now that rarely shows it’s face.

Kent stands up, slowly, swallowing against his dry throat, “I think he was concerned, sir.”

Concerned is a too mild word for it but Kent settles on it anyway.

Chandler glances at him, a look of quiet contemplation on his face. He’s still confused, Kent notes, but at least he’s thinking about it. That has to be an achievement.

“Can’t he understand I can look after myself?”

Kent nods, “I don’t think-“

Chandler looks at him for a moment making his stop in his tracks. Chandler looks equally like he wants Kent to stop talking immediately and that he thinks Kent is about to tell him the code to all of life’s problems.

Kent doesn’t continue and Chandler gets called away.

“He doesn’t understand, does he? Poor man,” Riley says, now standing beside Kent, her hand on his arm, “he’ll get it one day, don’t you worry.”

“Yeah,” Kent agrees quietly, watching Riley and Mansell now walk forward to follow Chandler’s lead.

Kent sighs, shifting on his feet as he watches them go, “Unless he gets himself killed first.”

The thought scares him something awful, but he knows it’s true.

Kent sure as hell doesn’t want to be amongst the team crying at the DI’s funeral. Not any time even remotely soon if he can avoid it.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! Hope you enjoyed it! Comments and Kudos are always welcomed and encouraged. Tell me what you think! 
> 
> I hope everyone's still being safe during this pandemic and are doing everything they can to prevent spreading the virus if possible. Stay healthy and stay safe everyone! Hope you have a great day (or night)!


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